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Mike Fisher had a pained look on his face yesterday as he described his oblique muscle injury.

The missing tooth when Fisher grinned, the remnants of a head-butt from Carolina's Scott Walker on Wednesday, was just further evidence it was a tough week for gritty centre.

The Senators leave today on a two-game road trip with stops in Boston and Atlanta, but they won't have Fisher in tow as he was added to the growing injury list.

How long he's out of the lineup is anybody's guess.

"Hopefully, it's not too long," said Fisher, who will visit the dentist today. "It will help me rest some other things as well."

Fisher said he believes he was injured when he was hit in the corner by a Thrashers player on his first shift in Saturday's 7-3 win. He tried to return, but found out quickly he wasn't going to be able to play and was taken to hospital for further examination.

"I got hit into the boards and I felt that it was kind of sore, but I didn't think it was anything serious," said Fisher, who was on the ice for practice yesterday. "On the next shift, I was just turning in the corner trying to take a guy and that's when I really felt it go."

It's just another blow to the Senators, who are already without winger Patrick Eaves (shoulder) and defenceman Anton Volchenkov (broken finger).

With forward Cody Bass already with the team and tough guy Brian McGrattan ready to return to the lineup, the Senators won't recall anyone before heading to Boston.

The only good news is the timing of all the injuries.

"You never know when they're going to come," said Senators coach John Paddock. "Every team is in the same boat. If you're hit with them four months from now, you're dead."

Fisher is less than thrilled.

"It's always frustrating going out with an injury," said Fisher. "The team is playing well, but I know as much as anyone it's part of the game."

It's no coincidence Ottawa's recent seven-game losing streak turned into a five-game winning streak just about the time Fisher, who was on a four-game point scoring streak before the Atlanta game, was able to get back on a roll.

"It's a substantial loss," said Paddock. "I don't think you can put a value on it. There's no positive to having three of our top 10 players out of the lineup."

But Paddock added the club has been through this before. The Senators went on a roll last season in December when they lost centre Jason Spezza and Fisher to injuries.

"We know what happened last year. You can't live in the past, but we lost Spezza and Fisher in back-to-back games. We have to find different ways to win," said Paddock. "Sometimes your approach has to change a little bit about the way you play and other individuals have to pick the slack up."

Paddock said the injury isn't connected to the groin issue that Fisher has been dealing with since the Stanley Cup final.

"He needs to be able to twist and turn. It's constant," said Paddock. "I would think there's very little chance he plays until he's 100%. He's going to have to heal."